Showing posts with label finding balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finding balance. Show all posts

Friday, January 31, 2014

Finding Balance.....

Well, here we are in the home stretch of renovations on our new Studio/Gallery.  It has been a LOT of work, a lot of fun, and an interesting journey for sure. As my thoughts for the Studio are coming more and more into focus, the realization that I cannot do everything is certainly sinking in.  I do, after all, only have 2 hands!
I have read over the years in various ceramic journals about "finding balance" and over the past 7 years, I have tried to find a balance between home, life, passion, and pots.  Now "balance" is going to take on a new dimension as it relates to custom work.
My ETSY store has been quite successful, and many customers have been thrilled with my custom pieces. While it has been a fun adventure, working with customers and gaining insight into how others view pottery creation, it has also be quite time consuming and stressful.  All those wedding trays!  When my Thank You trays are given to the parents at the rehearsal night dinner, they have to be there on time and in perfect condition.  All of my brides and grooms to date have been a true joy to work with, but mother nature intervenes, or my LIFE intervenes (think 2 kids, 4 cats, 2 dogs - one with a serious cardiac condition), and hard deadlines have on occasion become stressful all day/all night events in the Studio.
I am proud to say that with almost 350 online orders, I don't think I have missed many dates, if any at all, and certainly, I have not missed a rehearsal dinner - even one that took place in Paris, France!!!
For a one person potter, working out of an unheated space with no running water, I am pretty proud of this accomplishment!!!
As I look to my new Studio and Gift Gallery, I see a different type of work, and a different type of work pattern in my future.  I will still create custom pieces, but now they will only be available through the Studio.   By offering ready to ship pieces via ETSY, I see myself actually having more time to create the pieces I would like to create, and growing in my journey as a potter.
While I realize that I will be making a shift in my work, I think it will actually be more of a return to what my life as a potter had been like before the "Custom Frenzy!"
So, in the end, I believe this decision will offer me a less stressful life, with more time to enjoy life, and enjoy creating pottery...and in the end, for me - that is what it is all about....living a peaceful life and making pots!